Prime Minister says human rights concerns will remain a priority

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka defended the Czech government’s concerns
for human rights issues on Thursday saying that defense of human rights and
support for business and trade can go hand-in-hand. The prime minister was
responding to criticism from President Miloš Zeman who said during a visit
to the regions that excessive emphasis on human rights issues by some Czech
top officials was harming Czech exporters and investors in countries like
Uzbekistan or Iran. The prime minister said he did not believe one concern
excluded the other and stressed that before the fall of communism in 1989
Czechoslovakia itself had relied on the West to bring up human rights
issues on its behalf.

President Zeman: human rights issues should not hurt business

On a visit to the Papcel Litovel factory in the Olomouc region, President
Miloš Zeman expressed the view that human right issues should not be
allowed to stand in the way of business and trade. He said the country’s
business interests were sometimes hurt by what he called an excessive
emphasis on human rights on the part of Czech leaders, citing the cancelled
visit by the president of Uzbekistan as an example. Mr. Zeman said this was
a self-defeating policy, noting that since the Ubzbek head of state was not
going to visit the country it would not be possible to bring up the issue
of human rights face to face. At the same time, the Czech Republic was
losing investment opportunities and risking business already underway in
the country, the president noted. The Papcel Litovel factory has an eight
million dollar investment in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek president recently
cancelled his visit to the Czech Republic after the prime minister and the
mayor of Prague said they were not willing to meet with him.

TOP 09 leader angered by president’s words

The president’s words elicited an angry response from the head of the
Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies Karel Schwarzenberg
who said Mr. Zeman should spend a month in an Iranian jail so that he would
know what he was talking about. The TOP 09 leader also rejected the idea
that defense of human rights harmed exports, saying that if Czech companies
produced quality goods they would always find buyers.

More injured Ukrainians flown to Prague for treatment

A Czech army plane transported a dozen more Ukrainian nationals injured in
the recent clashes on Maidan Square to Prague for treatment on Thursday.
The majority suffered gunshot wounds and will require surgery. The Czech
government on Wednesday night agreed to set aside a further 8.5 million
crowns to fund the humanitarian mission. A first airlift last week brought
back 27 injured to Prague hospitals. The Czech government has said it will
continue providing humanitarian assistance for as long as is needed.

Senate chairman postpones indefinitely planned visit to Russia

The chair of the Czech Senate Milan Štěch has announced that he will not
be making an official visit to Russia in March as planned. Mr. Štěch said
the visit had been postponed indefinitely at his request in connection with
Russia’s military actions in Crimea. The visit by one of the Czech
Republic’s leading representatives was to have focused on the development
of bilateral relations.

Czech victory in Diag Human arbitration case definitive

The Czech Republic has definitively won an international arbitration case
against the Diag Human company, the Czech Health Ministry reported on
Thursday. The company had been suing the Czech Republic since the early
1990s over a frustrated deal in blood plasma, demanding more than ten
billion crowns in compensation for lost profit. Although a French court
ruled in the Czech Republic’s favour in 2012, the company filed a
cassation complaint, which has now definitively been rejected by the
Supreme Court in France.

České Budějovice mayor charged with abuse of office

České Budějovice mayor Juraj Thoma has been charged with abuse of
office. Mr. Thoma is believed to have signed a highly disadvantageous
contract for the city hall on IT services in 2012 without calling a public
tender. Independent experts claim that the contract was overpriced by an
estimated 9 million crowns.

Economy growing faster than predicted

The Czech economy grew faster in the last quarter of 2013 than originally
predicted with a GDP growth of 1.9 percent against the previous quarter.
This constituted a 1.3 percent expansion year on year. In the whole of last
year, the GDP contracted by 0.9 percent which was also a better figure than
the original estimate. The country came out a drawn-out recession only last
year and the boost in growth at the end of 2013 came after the central bank
intervened massively to weaken the crown as a means of fighting deflation
risks. The forex interventions encouraged consumer spending with shoppers
trying to get ahead of expected price rises this year due to costlier
imports.

Alcohol banned when house in session

The speaker of the lower house, Jan Hamáček, has banned the sale of
alcohol on the premises of the lower chamber when the house is in session.
Mr. Hamáček made the move in response to appeals by members of the ANO
party which criticized the fact that MPs drink during sessions of the lower
chamber. Critics within the party noted that since drinking at work is not
allowed elsewhere there is no reason for MPs to have special privileges in
this respect.

Fuel prices down in Prague due to competition

Fuel prices in Prague have dropped by up to 1.24 crowns due to intense
competition between sales outlets. The price of the best-selling Natural 95
is now selling on average for 35.54 per liter, while Diesel fuel sells for
36.93 on average. The cheapest fuel is available in Prague 3 and Prague 9.
The drop is expected to be short lived since the price of petrol and diesel
is expected to rise by approximately 1 crown per liter by mid-March in
connection with the conflict in Crimea.

Czech football team draws in Pavel Vrba’s first game in charge

Czech manager Pavel Vrba saw his team draw 2:2 in a friendly with Norway at
Prague’s Eden stadium on Wednesday night. The game was Vrba’s first in
charge of the national team. The Czech team started brightly with goals by
Tomáš Rosický and Matěj Vydra sending them in at the break with a 2:1
lead. Half time changes, including Rosický’s substitution, appeared to
break up Czech coherence and the visitors equalized in the closing minutes.
Vrba complained of lost possession in the second half.